Please Always Remember...
by Hikari Takaishi
Summary: I think I over-rated this...Anywho... At last, the concluding chapter to "Roses Are Red". Hikari is coming home while Takeru still remains. While away, Hikari rejoins with her family, hears of bad news, and finally finds out who the -real- father of her b


And I Love You… ****

Please Always Remember…

The closing chapter of _Roses Are Red_

But is it a tearjerker? Or a happy ending?

Dun-dun-dunnn! ::cough::

Hikari folded her arms around the baby bag with blue lions and red tigers on it and set her head against the window. She stared down at the vast waters, watching crystallized streaks of sunlight stretch across the waves, bending on each movement of water. Each wave rolled along as if it was in a race. The waves chased each other like two children would. Sometimes one would tag the other and disappear, other times it would tag the other and join forces, then chasing after the smaller one ahead.

The blue sky was that of a piece of heaven; so blue and so serene it was. Her eyes pictured Takeru… for his eyes were the same shade--probably even bluer. If that was possible. Oh, but with that boy… _anything_ was possible. He had given her the reason to life, within the books he read, the words he spoke to her, the tone he comforted with, and the touch he gave to her cheek. Within the very movement of his eyes when he was reading the book, that told her to smile. Whenever he tossed his head back to clear his eyes from his golden hair, it gave her a reason to daydream. 

Even though his silent act separated him, bringing him to his books instead of his friends, Hikari still thought he was very social. The books he read were large, thick, and complex, it increased his vocabulary and also Hikari's. She learned so much from him, just listening to him speak and read the words from the books. When he recited those little pieces of poetry--though he didn't call it poetry--she felt her heart warm with a feeling she never thought she could have. With those words, he sent her on a trip to a faraway place, carried on angel wings, to a place where pain and confusion were lost, just like her memory had been. 

Her cheeks turned red when she remembered the kiss. It was a longed for touch that she wished she could have kissed him longer, or sooner, telling him her feelings long before she had to leave. …Had to leave… Hikari blamed herself for being so lost in her own feelings that she didn't even recognize Takeru's. She hadn't known he felt the same way--though Grandmother-- Ami-- had told her he loved her. She thought of it as a white lie; something that was made up just to make her feel better. And because of that wonder, she had pulled herself away from Takeru while he tried to pull himself towards her.

Then again, he played the same game of tease, leading her into thinking he was the perfect angel, then switching attitudes like the capricious wind. But at the same time… she understood why he had been so distant--well, sort of. What she didn't understand was why he hadn't tried to find home. She had. She nearly had a heart attack while flipping through the pages of her notebook. But Takeru hadn't had that strike of luck that she had… though she didn't know what exactly he has _now_.

The coldness of the window shook her out of her thoughts and she looked out the window. She expected to see the water with the faint, bent light streaks on the surface. Instead, she saw clouds, big, puffy, white. She began to wonder if she had just imagined the water in her mind. Looking from her seat, across the thin isle, and to Taichi's seat, she noticed him scribbling things down on a napkin. His face showed a look of determination, something she had missed for a year…

Her eyes dropped down to the baby Yamato; felt the irony of the name of her baby and her brother's best friend, Ishida Yamato; then sighed lightly, tracing her index finger along the rim of his tiny baseball cap. His eyes were shut and he was leaning against Hikari's hip, his tiny, round hands clinging onto her light blue skirt with white flowers dancing down the sides. She tilted her head back against the window and sighed, wondering what Takeru was up to now. Her fingers traced the petals of a fine red rose, her mind thinking of just that single thought.

Takeru sat in the library with his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees, and his feet on a small stool in front of him. The library was silent, no one had been in it for a while, and it seemed rather dark. Or maybe it was just his imagination? His hand slowly dropped from his chin and onto a book. _Romeo and Juliet_. He cleared his throat as if someone had been expecting him to say something and gently closed the book, then setting it on a stack of books that was nearly half his size. All of the books had been read by Hikari.

His feet lazily fell off the stool in a pathetic attempt to stand up. After sitting there, lifeless, limp, and upset, he finally stood up and stretched his arms over his head. Walking towards the window, he set his arm against it, then set his forehead on his arm, and glanced out the glass, just like he had the last night he had with Hikari. The night he could have told her he loved her---but hadn't. The day that he could have kissed her without a reason to break it---but he didn't kiss her. He felt stupid. Stupid that he couldn't get the courage he wanted, stupid because he waited so long. He had let her slip away from his hold, away from his heart, away from him entirely. 

Two figures were seen in his crystal blue eyes; they had been standing on the sidewalk for quite some time. The boy was shyly kicking at the ground, the girl was shyly giggling. And then when they were an inch apart, Takeru turned away, kicking a nearby bookshelf and hearing any amount of books fall. He was just going to leave it alone… until more books began to fall. And soon, the entire three upper shelves fell from their spot, coming within a foot of Takeru's body. 

His hand reached up to rub his neck and the other placed itself in his pocket. The feeling he felt was strange. It wasn't anger, defeat, or the feeling you get when irony kicked you in the rear end; it was a feeling of heartbreak, loneliness, and sorrow. He kept rubbing his neck, trying to rub away the pain he had from craning his neck to look at the books around him. His fingers within his pockets fingered a coin of some sort and squeezed it for no reason. And then, within the mess of books, he set himself beside the books, his body resting against the corners, against the wooden shelf that fell over it. He brought his arms over his eyes and remained in that position for a long time, holding himself back from showing any emotion--even though he was alone.

Already he missed Hikari running up the steps, smiling brightly and wanting to see the latest book of his recommendation. He wanted to see her brown eyes shining with fascination as he gave her the book and she took it into her arms. Imagining himself reading a book to her with her chin on his shoulder, her breath on his neck, only made things worse for him. When he had first met her, he didn't think much of her but a pregnant newcomer. But her voice, the first time she asked for a book, the first time he felt her eyes on him, it all changed. 

Recalling that first day, he had been wearing the same long-sleeved black shirt as he was today; he remembered how she had gotten lost within the shelves of books. And how he grabbed all the books for her needs and sat down to read with her. Smiling, he thought of the first time they locked their eyes in a strange bond.

__

"What are you? A poet?"

"No, Ma'am. I'm the librarian."

Takeru sighed gently and sat up, running his fingers through his hair. He glanced down at the mess of books and decided just to leave it. Standing up, he strutted across the library from the Ls to the Ys in six long steps. Slightly sighing, he scanned the titles with his eyes, reading each one briefly enough to realize he was in the romance stories. He disappeared around the corner and appeared in another row of books in the same genre. 

"Roses are red, violets are blue," he muttered to himself, sitting down in front of all the books. "Something or other… and I love you." His hands spiritlessly fell between his legs and his chin was tilted to his chest. Because of Hikari's absence, he couldn't even say the words he had to the girl… he couldn't be the poet she thought he was. And now, because she was gone, he wasn't a poet…

"Shh! Don't cry, Yamato, don't cry," Hikari held her child close to her body, hushing him gently. "There's no reason to cry…"

"Takeru!" he cried out. Hikari was surprised, not because he had said a word, for he had said many along the lines of 'book,' 'Mommy,' 'I want,' and 'perquisite'. Takeru had made a small bet with Hikari to see who can teach Little Yamato a word first. Choosing the word 'unique,' Hikari had snickered at his attempt to teach a youth such an advanced word. For days they spent racing to Yamato, repeating the words, sounding them out, then hugging him when he managed to start it out. 

One day, Hikari stopped by at the library, Yamato in her arms. As she was stepping up to the doors, Takeru opened them, reading a book and wearing a sky-blue Hawaiian-embroidered shirt. It had been the first time she had seen him in casual wear--more around his age-- since she had met him. He looked so laid back that he even left his shirt out, not tucked into his black slacks. She thought he had looked like a college boy, preparing for a school dance.

She was setting Yamato down in the middle of the circular office when he said the word, but only after he heard Takeru saying it to Hikari, teasing her about the little things in life. He laughed at her and constantly muttered, "Perquisite, perquisite, perquisite!" to make her return a little "Unique, Takeru!"

They had just begun to bicker sourly, but playfully, about who would win when Yamato cheerfully called out, "Puh-qui-zit."

Takeru looked at Hikari, just in time to see the jaw of her mouth drop open. "No!" she whined, "Yamato, yoo-neek! Unique!"

Takeru had started to laugh at Hikari at this point. While she tried frantically to keep Yamato from crying out the word her librarian friend had taught him, he kept telling her to give up. He would pull on her arms to get her away from the babe; tried standing in front of her. Either way, he failed. It was when he lifted her into his arms that she finally ceased her wild calls to the child. 

She had stared into his eyes for a long minute; almost sure that it would have been their first kiss. But it hadn't. Takeru pulled away, turned away, and walked away--nearly at once, and left her alone with the blue-eyed child. 

Her fingers unknowingly reached to touch her lips, yearning for the touch of Takeru's. Only briefly had they had the chance to kiss. All those times they were alone, walking in the park, reading by candlelight, listening to the gentle classical music in the fancy restaurants… She had always took those for granted. She felt guilt… guilt because she hadn't know what Takeru felt during all those times she leaned against his shoulder.

Her eyes settled on a distant object in the airport. She hadn't even known that she made it out of the plane. She was still baffled when Yamato cried out for Takeru; she wished she could cry out for him too. Taichi led her from place to place… No one else was there at the airport; no one was in the parking lot. 

They arrived at a beat-up looking truck that had a large dent in the passenger door. Hikari began to giggle when she remembered how Taichi received that. Her fingers traced along the cool metal. Feeling tears swell into her eyes, she glanced up at her brother who was leaning against the car, leaning towards her, smiling.

"What?" she laughed, just barely managing a smile.

Taichi pounded his palm against the hood of the car and smiled widely. "I just can't believe it's you."

"Oh come on, we've gotten over this mushy 'I missed you' part." Hikari climbed into the truck and cuddled her child.

"Tch, good luck on getting through the Parent Barrier. Then Daisuke's. And Koushiro's, Sora's, Jyou's, and Yamato's--"

"Yamato…" 

"He'll be damned when he finds out what happened…" Taichi pushed his large fingertip on the baby's nose. Yamato giggled playfully and reached out to grab Taichi's finger, easily missing. There was a brief pause where no one, not even the child, made a noise. Hikari was admiring the youthful spunk of her brother, he was observing the baby, and Yamato was interested in Taichi's finger.

"What about Takeru?"

"Don't start with that again," Taichi finally put himself into the brother mode and turned the engine of his blue truck on. "There is no possible way that Takeru could be alive. It's been like… seven years, 'Kari. Don't you think he would have tried to get home?"

"I was just saying--"

"Just don't bring it up to Yamato. You know how he gets when _he_ is brought into the subject." Taichi gave his sister a nudge and began to pull out of the lot.

She came home in silence. Hikari didn't know what to expect… How would her parents react to Taichi suddenly appearing with the missing member of the family--and a new addition? Would they even dare to understand what she had been going through? What if they refused to help care for the child--Yamato?

The first thing she saw when Taichi pushed open the door was her mother's and father's shoes, placed neatly beside each other. She felt the tears on the brim of her eyes as Taichi pulled the babe from her arms. Hearing her mother fiddling with the pots and pans brought joy into her heart. Seeing a faint glare of light from the television made her jaw quiver. Once the clinking and clanking stopped, a kind, sweet sounding voice came from the kitchen, "Taichi, dear, is that you?"

Hikari held her breath as Taichi placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her a couple steps ahead. A gentle fuss came from Yamato when she was more than a foot away and her mother's voice came again, "Taichi?"

Heavy, warm tears brimmed her gentle brown eyes but couldn't roll down her cheeks. Her mind studied the hallway where the kitchen and television light clashed together and finally saw a shadow cloud over the brighter half. Within seconds, a thin woman with the same type of brown hair as Hikari, light and thin, was seen, wiping her hands off a peach-colored apron. Their eyes didn't meet until the older woman glanced up at the girl.

"Mama," Hikari whispered. Glancing at Taichi, she received a firm nod and she turned back around. The mother brought her narrow hand to her lips, stepping back as if she had seen a ghost.

_No… an angel._

"Mama…!" Hikari forced as her childlike ways stole her mind and brought her back to her adolescence. She lunged over the space between them and threw her arms around her mother's neck, her head nuzzling deeply into her shoulder. The breath that she never let go finally escaped when she heard her mother's sobs and felt her hold around her. 

The sound of the television muted but the light still poured into the gap of the hallway. Hikari could hear her father shuffling around the living room; standing up from the couch, accidentally bumping into the coffee table, then muttering swears to himself… But when she raised her eyes to see her father… she saw a blonde-haired man with eyes like the ocean.

Hikari's tears slipped silently as her mother released her hold, also looking at the man. His features looked familiar; eyes like the ocean, hair like the sun… _Takeru. No…Yamato._ "Where, where's Daddy?" she murmured, locking eyes with the familiar stranger. At once, the three around her dropped their eyes; she suspected the worst but didn't bring herself to ask. Unfortunately, Taichi knew his sister's looks and answered her pleading eyes.

"He had… an accident, 'Kari." His voice cracked and Hikari thought that because of it, he couldn't pronounce the 'Hi' in her name. 

"What? So he's in the hospital?" She knew that she was pushing the emotions too far off the edge. The held silence told her differently and she lowered her head. _A family member is lost… a family member is gained. _She didn't know what to do anymore.

"Taichi," Hikari whispered after hours and hours of talking, hugging, and crying ended. Only she and her brother were up in the dead of night; their mother went to bed and the silent blonde had left when she arrived. She saw the eyes of her brother open slowly.

"What is it?"

"Who was that?"

"Who was who?"

"Who was the blonde?"

"The blonde?"

"Yes, the one who was here earlier."

"Earlier?"

"Taichi…" She sighed at how tired he was.

He shifted in the position he was in and rubbed his eyes. The moonlight dropped over his tired face and made him look half his age. She remembered distinctively when she looked at him and saw a wild mess of brown hair, a goofy grin, wide eyes, and unorganized clothing. Now he was grown… he still had the wild hair and goofy grin, but his eyes had aged with agony, making them seem dark and full of worry all the time. "Hikari?" he asked, probably for the third time now.

"Who was he?" she asked back.

"Yamato." His voice was thick.

Hikari fingered the edge of the thin blanket that her mother pulled out of the closet and demanded her to have, and glanced over at the baby's crib… also dragged out from the closet. "Why was he here?"

"He just came over to watch Mom while I was away… She didn't want me going. Dad just… passed away… and she didn't want me to leave. Anyway, I thought 'Well, if we lost one, why not find another'?" Taichi drove himself to make somewhat of a chuckle. "I came back with another addition…"

Hikari turned to face him completely, her chin resting on her arm gently. "Does he still search for Takeru?"

"He refused to give up… but lately, he just reduced to hoping." 

"Why?"

"It's been seven years, Hikari… Seven long and painful years. Yamato had to graduate without his little brother there, 'Kari." There was the crack in his speech again. "Takeru would have graduated, too…"

Hikari pictured the photograph she found within a book of Takeru's. It was wedged into the pages as if it caused pain to stare into the pure faces of the children within it. Her eyes shut gently, another tear forming in her eyes. She turned onto her back and set her hand on her stomach, remembering that Takeru once whispered words to her baby. Silently, she began to cry in hopes it could ease the pain. Taichi didn't hear her jagged breath intake; or if he did, he knew it was best just to leave her alone.

Takeru paced across his library floors, shoving books in the spaces they belonged. A light shade of black bordered the bottom of his eyes, telling anyone who saw him that he wasn't getting much sleep. His eyes strained to read each title of the book; his legs struggled to keep moving even though he was very tired. He strolled down the R isle, slowly reducing the weight in his arms by placing the books back. The last book he held caught his attention.

"William Shakespeare…" His voice trailed a little. "How did this end up here?"

The blue eyes of the young man fell upon the title and something painful twisted in his mind. _Romeo and Juliet_. He closed his eyes and remembered Hikari's pleading voice… begging him to read this book to her again. But he hadn't, he never got the chance to… 

Without looking at the pages, he began to recite the lines:

"_Two households, both alike in dignity,_

__

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, 

__

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

_Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean._"

He then brought the book to his chest and set his chin on it, remembering the lines she loved the most.

__

"She speaks: 

O! speak again, bright angel; for thou art 

As glorious to this night, being o'er my head, 

As is a winged messenger of heaven…"

Hikari's voice nearly roamed his tired mind. Her soft, delicate words murmured the words of Juliet, the character that she yearned so much to be. _Because she fell in love. Because she found her love. Because she sacrificed herself to be in love… that's why I like her, Takeru._ Exhausted, he sat himself down in the middle of the isle and bent his head down at the book. Since it was late at night, no one came through the doors to disturb him. Good thing, too. For the next thing he knew tears began to fall from his eyes, just like they had before.

That night, Takeru drove home in silence. The radio refused to play, or he refused to listen to it. He walked into his house, the big, empty home that he lived in. And he took his time to get upstairs and into his bedroom; took his time to undress and prepare for his much-needed slumber. His room was dark and hallow, there wasn't anything the least bit interesting. 

He dropped himself onto his bed and stretched his right arm over his eyes. Sighing, he started to recall the last moment he had with Hikari in his home. It was the night he foolishly let her slip away before he could tell her three words. Those three words could have changed everything; could have kept Hikari near his side, could have kept the child near him, too. If he could only change history, then the future would be brighter than it was now. 

_You've got to know your past to know your future._

Takeru turned onto his stomach, setting his tired head on his pillow. Though he was encouraged to remember the past… he couldn't. He was afraid of it, too. He didn't know what kind of a life he had… didn't know what kind of life he could have had. 

Hikari was lucky, he decided, that she had found her past. For now she was able to create her future. He, on the other hand, was a broken link in whatever family he was in. There wasn't going to be a family reunion for him, of course from what he heard of, people didn't like to go to those anyway. Still, he wished for the same things Hikari had wished for: for a chance to see a mother and father, to see any relations, to invite people to weddings or get-togethers. Right now… he was alone.

But he didn't _have_ to be. There was always a way to find a destiny… even if it took seven years to find it. When he first looked into that strange girl's eyes… _that's_ when he found his destiny. Hikari… she was his certainty… _she_ was _his_ angel. …So why did he let her go so easily?

Before Hikari did anything the next morning, she asked Taichi if he could take her to their father's grave. He hesitantly agreed and prepared himself to leave. They left the home at a quarter to eight and drove in silence down the streets. Hikari asked Taichi how their father had passed on; then she wished she hadn't.

"It was a couple months after you disappeared," he explained, "he was upset about how he couldn't find you--we all were. It was really stormy and such, and he was crossing over the bridge too fast. You se, he received word that "you" were seen in a building in some other town and he just _had_ to get there." Taichi slowed and turned into the cemetery. 

"The call turned out to be a prank, but Dad was gone before we can say it." He turned the engine off and glanced out the window. "The rain made the road slick and I guess Dad lost control and… collided with an oncoming car… Died instantly to the impact, officer said."

Hikari lowered her head. "I'm so sorry, Daddy."

Her brother's hand dropped onto her shoulder. "Don't apologize, it's not your--"

"Yes it is…!" She shrugged his hand off. "If I hadn't wandered, Dad would still be alive. You can't say that it wasn't my fault… because it is, Taichi, it is."

His eyes shot in the direction of a tombstone with yellow and white flowers beside it. "That's Dad…"

"Aren't you coming?"

"…No. Is it okay if I just run to the flower shop to buy a rose? …Then I'll come."

Hikari pushed herself out of the vehicle and nodded. "Watch Yamato?"

"No problem, Kiddo."

She watched as her brother drove away, leaving her in silence. In her hand was a violet… a blue violet. Walking in the direction of her father's grave, she heard a car pull into the road; didn't pay attention to it. She was too busy trying to fight the tears; too busy trying to be the brave daughter her father liked her to be.

Placing the violet at the base, she sat down beside it and leaned her head against the cool stone. Tears unknowingly seeped from her closed eyes. The pain within her heart was aching tremendously. Only a year of not seeing her father's face… and now she had to live without him completely, it was unimaginable. A life without her father… she never even thought of it.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she jerked her head up. There was a familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed man standing behind her.

_Takeru! No… Yamato._

"What are you doing here, Yamato?"

He sat down next to her and generously wiped the tears away with his hand. The older man looked away as if she were giving him pain. "I just… G-glad you're back…"

Hikari tilted her head a little, "What's wrong?"

He kept his eyes on his hands. "Please… Hikari… can I ask for a hug? Before you hate me?"

"Before I--Yamato-"

"Please?" he asked forcefully. Blinking in confusion, Hikari nodded and set her arms around his shoulders, giving a warm hug. Yamato's arms wrapped tightly around her waist and leaned his head against hers. Hikari felt his tears fall onto her hair and his hands tremble just a little.

"Yamato…" she whispered gently, "tell me, what is bothering you?"

"I did it," he exhaled, his words not even above a murmur.

"Did what?"

"I was jealous--of Taichi--because you two had such a strong relationship. Just like Takeru and I… But when he… when… I-I just didn't have my little brother to look after like Taichi had you." Yamato didn't let go of the girl, he kept holding and crying. "And the jealousy just grew when you two got older… You guys just did so much--and I couldn't because I lost Takeru. But I-I don't know _why_ I did such a thing to you, Hikari… No apology could ever fix that…"

"Yamato, I don't get what you're saying…"

"I… I was the one…" His hold around her suddenly dropped, along with his voice. "I did it all." (*)

The words weren't there, but she knew what 'he did.' The _rape,_ the _amnesia_, the _torture._ It had been Yamato… everything… She pulled away from him immediately and stared at him with a look of fear, of _shame_, and utter shock.

"How--how could you?" she stood and backed away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Taichi's truck pull into the cemetery.

"I know these words will me nothing to you," Yamato said to the ground, his hands reaching to wipe his eyes. "And I know I'm asking a lot… but please, Hikari, please find a way to forgive me."

Hikari continued to step back, heading towards Taichi who was walking towards the two. They met midway and she begged him to take her home. He nodded blankly then dropped the rose on an unknown grave. When he asked whom she was talking to, she just looked away and refused to answer. 

During the ride home, Hikari's thoughts where focused on Yamato… what he did, why he did it, and his apology…

_What he did…_ He stole her innocence and took away her life--her memory. He sent her to a whole new country and continent and left her for a possible death. He got her pregnant and gave her even more pain. But he also gave her that wondrous child… Still, the way the baby came along was almost wretched. …She _named_ the baby after the truthful father by complete coincidence. Now she could never forget where the baby came from.

_Why he did it…_ All of this happened out of jealousy… Yamato couldn't stand how close she was with Taichi. He wanted _his_ little sibling back; wanted to have someone in his life that he could be there for. Hikari remembered how much Yamato cried and searched for his brother; then remembered how he refused to go to her home because she and Taichi would always be together. Suddenly, she felt a sense of sympathy for the confused Ishida.

_His apology…_ How could she ever, _ever_ forgive him and his doings? She found it nearly impossible. After all, he raped her, impregnated her, and sent her to a strange country with no memory at all. And out of what? Jealousy… Hikari didn't understand it all; wasn't sure she wanted to. Yamato wasn't the type to push the fine line of jealousy into the extent of … rape. 

She exhaled deeply and looked at Taichi. His eyes were set on the road, but she knew he was wondering what made her so silent. "Taichi…" she finally whispered, "I've got to tell you what happened."

Hikari sat in the dining room with the silver-colored telephone in hand. Taichi had went to Yamato's for "talk" and her mother left for grocery shopping. She had spent the hour calling a few people… Most were checking in with Daisuke… each time she called, though, no one answered. She went through tear-filled conversations with Sora and Miyako; went through sarcasm with Jyou and Koushiro; then finished the phone calls talking with the two others, Iori and Ken. Each of the calls ended with an "I'll be seeing you as soon as I can" or a "I'm sorry I doubted the truth."

Only one number was still in her mind… _Takeru's library_. She had promised herself that she would call him--the feelings were clear! They had kissed and she was positive that he felt the same way she had for him. It had been sensed in that kiss of theirs. So why was she still so afraid to dial a number?

_Maybe he changed his mind. It could have been out of pity--the kiss. Then again, why would he say such kind things?_ Hikari blindly grabbed the phone and poked at the buttons, knowing her mother will be cross as soon as she receives the phone bill. She held her breath and listened to the rings. She had done the math and figured out that it would only be five o'clock in the afternoon. 

_One ring…_

She closed her eyes and twisted her fingers through the cord, wishing, waiting, and hoping.

_Two rings…_

Her mind began to spin in wonder. There was always a chance he didn't answer.

_Three… four…_

Fear rose into her throat and she didn't even realize Taichi was standing by her side with the baby in his arms.

_Five---(click)_

The answering machine scared her enough to make her jump.

_"…If you're looking for me, Takeru, I'll be back in time. I've taken a slight vacation to see someone special…"_

Hikari quickly hung up the telephone and glanced at Taichi. "What's the number for the airport?"

Within a matter of minutes, Hikari was running down the stairs of her apartment building with no coat, umbrella, or Yamato. It was raining outside, but she didn't care and Yamato loved his uncle Taichi to death, so no worries there. Her first steps outside the building were slow. She had to get used to the chilled rain dropping onto her body. Once she got used to it, she started to hurry down the sidewalk in the direction of the airport.

It seemed like a long ways away, the airport, that is. The flight that Takeru could have been on, the only one from the Americas to Odaiba, was going to arrive in a matter of minutes--fifteen to be exact. She was beginning to slow; she was getting tired of hastily running and dancing out of the way of cars. Hikari then took a short rest when she was still at least a mile away from the port. 

Cars drove by in the rain, splashing water onto the curbs. Some rumbles of thunder interrupted her thoughts at times and she couldn't tell if she was crying. Her eyes were blurry but rain could have fallen into her eyelashes. There was warmth on her cheeks but it could have been the rain, heated from her running. She did know one thing, however; she knew that she would never forgive herself if she missed Takeru's arrival… 

Standing up, she glanced up and down the streets, making sure it was clear. There was a white vehicle coming her way, so she stopped and waited. As it slowed, she began to grow suspicious and took a step back. The wheels of the car stopped completely and there was silence. Rain dropped onto her head and onto her face, mixing with any possible tears. Her breath was caught in her throat when she saw the door open.

A hand reached up from inside the car and grabbed a hold of the door. Then a man pulled himself up and out of the car, turning to look towards the girl. There was a sense of familiarity in his caramel eyes and she could have sworn she knew him. His lips twitched lightly before he stepped around the front of the vehicle; he was taller than Hikari imagined.

Her fear and confusion were caught in her mind at the same time; she just didn't know what to do. Running was always an option... but she was already tired from her jogging. Besides that fact, the stranger looked nearly three times as fast as the girl. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Hikari turned to leave with her eyes focused off the man.

"Hikari?"

She wheeled around on her heels and stared directly at him. He was giving the same look of confusion as she was. Hikari watched him swipe a piece of his dark brown hair from his forehead and she nearly choked on her stupidity.

"Daisuke?" she murmured, barely audible over the falling rain. Her hands reached up to her cheeks, cradling her thin face in astonishment and shock. 

"It can't be," they both said. Then they gave a forced laugh. Immediately, Hikari dropped her hands to her side and looked up at the tall figure. 

"It really is you, isn't it?"

"Motomiya Daisuke... number seven, straight C student. That's me..."

Hikari let out a breath of relief and it came out as a held giggle. "You never did lie about your grades."

"Then again, what would I lie about? I'm not the smartest in the world," Daisuke cracked a smile and stepped towards her, his arms opening slightly. "I just saw Taichi a while ago… and he told me what happened. I would've came over if I could but---well, is it… can I… is it okay to hug you now?"

The girl stood silently for just the briefest of seconds before she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a warm embrace. Her forehead set itself lightly on his neck and his head tilted against hers. Small words of "I missed you so much" were passed with the return of "I'm glad to see you again."

_"Where have you been?"_

"Washington…"

"Who did you stay with-who took care of you?"

"Newly found friends…"

"Why didn't you come home sooner?"

"Amnesia…"

"But then how--"

"Taichi came to look for me…"

"Why would--"

"I just don't know, Daisuke, I just don't know."

"Oh! Daisuke… please tell me you remember a boy named Takeru…"

Daisuke gave the teenaged girl a look with a raised eyebrow. "Takeru?"

"Yes," she nodded, "the boy who went out in Mimi's little boat… and…"

He glanced at his watch in the middle of her half-pleading question and blinked. "Hikari, I've got to go… I just saw someone standing in the rain and I thought it was you and… well, it was. I was on my way for a screen test…"

"Acting?" she sounded surprised.

"Yeah," he grinned gently; "I remember when you said I'd make a good actor because of the way I overreacted at times… I'm giving it a go for a play, though."

Hikari echoed his grin with her own and replied, "That's sweet of you to still think of our childhood. Say, can you give me a ride to the airport?"

"You're not going to disappear on me again, are you?"

"No… I just…" She looked up at the falling rain, "I just have to meet somebody."

Daisuke nodded and kindly opened the passenger side door and rushed to the driver's seat. Once inside, he pulled away from the curb and headed towards the Odaiba Airport. On the way, Hikari filled him in about whom she was to be meeting. 

"Thanks, Dai," she whispered when they hugged again. He gave her his word for a phone call that night to tell her all about his tryout and breakfast in the morning. He didn't tell her that he wanted to meet Takeru and set him up straight before he had time to do anything else. Daisuke was always like a brother in most ways.

Hikari jogged into the airport, completely soaked and completely filled with hope. She stopped fleetingly to purchase a blue violet and to ask where the American plane would be landing. With the flower and the directions, she pushed her way through the crowds of people with determination set firmly in her mind. 

Her once dry cheeks were now damp with tears, though she wasn't sure why she had began to cry. It could have been finding out the truth to what happened in her life. Or it could have been just speaking with everyone again; with Daisuke. Maybe it was all the hope she was putting into this. For all she knew, Takeru could have been boarding a whole different plane. But that wasn't like Takeru… at least she hoped it wasn't.

She arrived in the port with tearless eyes; she had somehow convinced herself to stop. Many people gave her looks of confusion. She was, after all, wet from the rain, holding one single blue violet, and her eyes were rimmed with red from crying. But she bypassed those looks and set her eyes firmly on the windows, hoping, wishing, and praying that she would see Takeru's plane land. 

It wasn't until twenty minutes passed until Hikari lowered her head. His plane had not come. She had set her hopes too high… Hikari watched as the tears blurred her vision and she blinked them all away. She blinked away the tears that kept coming back; blinked away the pain she felt in her heart. When she realized she couldn't stand the people looking at her and her tears, she walked outside to wash them away with the rain.

Hikari stepped out of the building and let the cool air brush against her cheeks. Rain began to fall onto her head again, but this time it seemed somewhat comforting. Now she wasn't the only one crying; the sky was crying for her. At least that's what she wished for. Her mind spun and pounded within her skull, wishing to get out of all this pain. For the past year, all she did was wonder, wish, and want the past. Now that she had the past, she wanted the future. 

_No… Takeru._

She wanted Takeru and his gentle words; his poems, his smile, and his books that he brought to her. The way he read _Romeo and Juliet_ was missed, as well as his blue eyes and crooked smile. He once used to bring joy into her heart, now he was bringing pain--or she was bringing it to herself. Her mind didn't want to decide on anything anymore. It couldn't even tell her if she wanted to turn left or right to go home. This is what Takeru's absence did to her…

Suddenly, she froze in her tracks, standing in the middle of the sidewalk. She tilted her head up and let the rain mix with her tears. Hugging the violet close to her body, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine his touch. _His kiss._ And for just a moment, she could have sworn she perceived the fragrance of roses…

_"Dear angel who wanders the streets alone…"_

Hikari opened her eyes. _It can't be…_

_"Tell me why your angelic wings are broken…"_

She held her breath and began to turn around.

_"And your beautiful eyes are so dim and cold…"_

Her eyes widened at the sight she saw.

"And your gentle words are left unspoken…" Takeru finished. He stood silently with a rose in his hand; his ocean-blue eyes shining in spite of the dark clouds and falling rain. The blonde's smile was reassuring and slightly crooked… the way she always remembered him. 

"What are you? A poet?" Hikari asked, her voice nearly lost in the falling tears.

"No, Ma'am…" He answered and stepped towards her, the gap between them closing. "I'm just a man in love…"

Hikari's eyes brimmed over with tears and she nearly fell into his hold in which he gladly took. His arm found the right spot around her waist and his hand delicately cupped her neck, keeping her close. The storm continued on, delivering flashes of lightning, rumbles of thunder, and rain. Neither of the two pulled back from the embrace.

At last, Takeru pulled back and stared into the brown pools of Hikari. His lips separated just a little to form a slight smile. Reaching up to brush the tears off her cheeks, he whispered; "Yagami Hikari… Though it took me months and months to find the words to identify this feeling you've given me… I've finally found them--and the courage to state it, as well… I cherish you with my heart and soul; I'd relinquish my life if it were needed… just to keep you contented. Yagami Hikari, you are the past that I have been looking for and the only thing I can bring myself to say to you now is just this… I love you, Hikari."

She tilted her head into his touch, feeling the tears run down her cheeks and feeling him pull her to his body again. Before she could whisper any words back, Takeru touched her lips with his in a longed for kiss. In return to the touch, Hikari enclosed her arms around his shoulders and leaned into it, closing her eyes and letting his fingers run through her damp hair.

When they broke away, Takeru gently nudged her nose up with his to tilt her head again and gave her another delicious kiss on the lips. He then held her fragile and beautiful face in his hands and locked his blue eyes with her browns. Through the pouring rain, Takeru smiled and asked in a gentle, soothing, and loving tone, "Marry me, Hika'?"

_Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to acknowledge and to bless a marriage that has arisen…_

"It has been over two years since I was taken from my home," Hikari thought to herself, her eyes never straying from the gaze of Takeru. She wore a fancy white gown that looked somewhat pink. The trimmings on her shoulders and near her feet were a faint blush-rose and her evening gloves inched their way up her arms in the same color. Her hands, enclosed under Takeru's, were still and calm, even though her eyes were dancing in a pool of tears. They weren't the kind of sorrow, or pain, but of joy. "But finally… my life makes sense again…"

She smiled tenderly at Takeru and his own lopsided grin was given in return. His bright blue eyes shimmered lightly in the sunlight, he too was glad for once that everything was clear. 

When he arrived in Odaiba, Hikari took him to the person who he needed to see the most… Yamato. Though she didn't attempt to look him in the eye, she told Yamato that she couldn't forgive him--but she would try to put the things behind her. As difficult as that may have seemed, she promised to start all over in friendship. Both knew things would never be the same.

Takeru had rejoiced the meeting with his brother; they spent hours just hugging, crying, and apologizing. Before long, he was reintroduced to his mother and his father, and soon, to everyone else. His mother, of course, began to cry and told him that he would never be allowed onto another boat as long as he lived… But through it all, she always ended with "I've missed you, Takeru," or a "I love you so much."

_We come together to celebrate a discovery and to record in the minds and hearts of all present the ripe event of a love that has bloomed. We gather also to mark the reality that marriage must overcome many forces that would destroy it._

The two lovers had gone through the same ordeal unknowingly. Takeru, only at the age of eleven, was lost in the storm when he was taken onto the boat. He claimed to have remembered to be waking up in a cargo area of a ship, then falling back into the state of unconsciousness only to awake again in the home of one of his housemates. 

Yamato, trying to bring apology to his wrongful deed, traced back to the ship Takeru was found on. An American fisherman was heading to Japan, when he was coming back, his ship was caught in the storm and his fishing nets grabbed a hold of something he never received before… Takeru. Being an American captain, he took the strange boy back to the Americas and to the Washington port he had sailed from. 

After that, the sailor had taken the boy to a hospital in a city on the coast. One of the doctors then transferred him to a larger hospital with better treatments than what they had. He had been taken under care for almost ten months while in a stage of comatose. The American doctor who had watched over Takeru told Yamato that the youth slipped in and out of the stage and he was rocking on the edge of death.

A year after he was taken to the hospital, he was released and was living with the doctor and his family. One of his kids befriended the newcomer easily and they grew up to become housemates in the home that Takeru was living in. The doctor claimed that the blonde-haired child loved to read.

"I asked him why he loved to read so much," the physician said, " 'I read because I can and because it always turns out the way I hope.' "

_Love is an act of creation; a direct sharing of a process. Love can survive only by being born again and again. Love is dynamic and will fly away from a marriage, which has become static and unbending. When love lives, as it does here today, it reflects the deepest and most tender secrets of the universe. _

Taichi took the longest to adjust to the proposal. He took precautions to Takeru; watched his attitude and his gestures. He found nothing to frown upon, with an exception that he was going to take his baby sister away from his side.

He liked the way this boy cared for Hikari; always putting her ahead of himself, always bringing a smile to her face with a simple sentence. No matter how hard he searched, he came up empty handed. Taichi just couldn't find a purpose to bring Takeru down and away from his sister. And at last, he began to talk to the youth as if a friend. Before long, he started to think of him as a part of the family already.

The older brother finally agreed to the marriage, giving them his blessing. Of course he wouldn't settle for anything but the best. He nearly took the pen from Hikari and made the wedding himself. Hikari never knew her brother would be this helpful. It made her look at him in a whole different way; she smiled along with his ideas and giggled with his jokes. Sometimes she wondered if he was more a best friend than a brother.

Daisuke, too, helped with the wedding. He was still sour as to the day they married about Takeru. However, he didn't say a word to upset the bride-to-be. Through the months of planning for this blessed day, he learned how to stay away from the attitude Hikari could carry whenever a bitter remark was thrown at Takeru--even though Takeru said it was okay. _He_ even laughed about the teasing comments.

__

Takeru and Hikari, I charge you with the responsibility to keep alive; to grow, to change, to maintain the capacity for wonder, for spontaneity, for humor; to remain pliable, warm and sensitive. I charge you to give fully; to show your real feelings, to save time for each other, no matter what demands are made upon your day. I charge you to see the meaning of life through the changing prism of your love; to nurture each other to fullness and wholeness, and in learning to love each other more deeply, learn to love the creation in which the mystery of your love has happened…

And so the date was set. They were to be married on the summer solstice, June twenty-first. 

No matter how much Hikari asked for a fall wedding, Taichi wouldn't hear of it. He told her that summer was the best time for wedding; the flowers were always fresh, the weather was always nice. When in fall, it would be chilly. He bypassed the fact that he didn't want her to get married too soon. He wanted his sister's wedding to happen in a later year for reasons.

One, he wanted to see Takeru's reaction to the wait. If he were in love, he would wait; if not, he would leave. All Taichi wanted to do was make sure his sister wouldn't be heartbroken.

Two, if Takeru even thought about harming his sister, it would have been shortly after the wedding. Over the months, Taichi saw Takeru bring books, flowers, and poems to the girl. He felt slightly reassured at the kindness.

In all, Taichi was just looking out for his little sister… even if he did show it in strange ways.

"Takeru, will you take Hikari to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony?" the priest said gently to the groom. "Will you draw her to your very being to share life's sorrows and joys? Will you promise to respect her and be respected by her, to install hope in her and be given hope by her? Will you promise to accept the mystery of your uniqueness, still merging into a unity with her? Will you, through acts of teaching and learning, grow toward Hikari?"

Takeru's lips parted and the left corner grew into a smirk. His eyes froze on Hikari's while he answered, "I do so promise."

"Hikari, will you take Takeru to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony…"

The bride's eyes caught the rays of the sun and glistened beneath the cover of tears. She listened to the priest's words before saying, "I do so promise."

"I, Takeru, take thee Hikari," Takeru echoed after the priest. "To be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part…" 

Hikari bit her bottom lip as he said the words and she couldn't help but let a tear fall gently down her cheek. She then recited her ending of the vow and the two then shared a smile while Takeru was handed the wedding band.

"For centuries the perfect symbol for eternity has been a circle. A wedding ring in shape is a perfect circle. It is our prayer that it may symbolize love, complete and beautiful, whenever your eye is cast upon it. With this ring, Hikari, I wed you. All that I am, and all that I have." 

Hikari heard the sniffs in the large group of an audience. Another tear slipped down her skin as the ring settled onto her finger. She then took the remaining ring and voiced, " Takeru, I give you this sign of my love, knowing that love is precious and fragile, yet strong. I give you this sign of our love, an ever-present symbol of the vows we make this day. I give you this ring as I give you my love…"

"In recognition of the marriage between you, accomplished in the uniting of your hearts by mutual love and confidence. And in conformity to the laws of this country by whose sanctions these visible expressions of your pledged fidelity have been given and received; as a minister acknowledged by the church, I do pronounce you to be husband and wife. May you together bring a new creative spirit to a world in need of renewal…"

Takeru and Hikari remained still, their thoughts capturing their movements and leaving them unable to do anything but stare.

_All this time, the love I've had,_ Hikari noted within her mind, _was for a man who was nothing more than a friend. All this time… He was the one I loved, He was the one I needed, He was the one that loved me back._

This heavenly angel… Takeru thought, _is the one I've been searching for in the books… in the stories… in the fairytales. She is the angel in my dreams, the one I longed for, the one I hoped for, the one I thought I'd never meet…_

"Kiss the bride, smart ass!" Daisuke called sarcastically from the side. Both Takeru and Hikari jerked their heads up and their friends and family held in their laughter.

Takeru turned a deep shade of red and looked back at Hikari who was also a fair shade of pink. His hands laced fingers with hers and he began to lean towards his wife… his beautiful, lovely wife. Blinking back the tears, Hikari forced herself to keep calm. She then smiled faintly as a sign of joy and tilted her head to meet the kiss midway. When their lips reached each other's, their eyes shut, sealing the wedding vow and sealing their love, and sealing it for all eternity. 

The end

::coughs:: I'd seriously bash myself on this… but I think I should just drop it here. For those who were wondering what the (*) meant, it was just a mark of apology for Yamato fans. I went through a stage of confusion of whether I should make him the father… or not… If I did, you know, Yamato fans would frown upon me and I'd get hate mail in my inbox all day. But if I didn't, the story wouldn't be all that great… (Not that it is now but--) So… I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be returning with the tearjerker end to this. (Please Always Remember--That I Love You. Get it? Please always remember: 'cause they were separated and they were remembering each other… Then the---aw, forget it…) 

Really now… did you think it was a tearjerker at some points? Cough*notatall*cough. Well, I hope it turned out okay… I'm stopping now… Yup… Oh yes, thanks, T-2000, VoodooDaisuke, yotama, and a bunch of others for reading, encouraging, and throwing out pieces of advice. And to [spiffy] who already suspected Takeru had also lost his memory by the first chapter… And anyone else kind enough to drop in a review… ^-^ Is there any way I could say thanks? Oh wait… was that one? Now I'm stopping…


End file.
